'You have everything, just believe in yourself'- Mukesh Choudhary recalls MS Dhoni's advice in IPL 2022

Legendary captain MS Dhoni is not only a crowd-puller but has also earned a lot of respect from players all over the world, especially from the youngsters to whom he is often seen giving valuable advice after IPL games. One such emerging cricketer who is in awe of Dhoni’s stature is the Chennai Super Kings’ new recruit, Mukesh Choudhary.

Choudhary shared his experience of playing for CSK in the 2022 edition and at the same time also heaped praise on Dhoni who had urged him to believe in his abilities when things were not going right for him on the field. At the same time, the veteran stumper also reminded Mukesh that every player goes through a rough patch.

 I felt very proud: Mukesh Choudhary

“I never thought I would play for Chennai Super Kings. When I was on the team bus (for the first time), Dhoni tapped me on the shoulder and I was like, ‘Oh this is happening with me’ and I felt very proud,” said Choudhary on chennaisuperkings.com.

“In my first two matches, I couldn’t perform to my potential. So, I used to talk to him (Dhoni) every day and also in between matches. Dhoni told me to believe in my abilities. Rutu (Ruturaj) is my friend… so he was always there with me, he supported me and gave me the confidence saying, ‘You have everything, you just have to believe in yourself because for every player it happens, where they go through this phase’,” he added.

“After the Mumbai (Indians) game, I gained confidence and continued to bowl with that confidence,” the budding pacer further added.

Mukesh Choudhary had a good IPL 2022 and finished with 16 scalps to his name from 13 matches. His best spell came against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians, where he accounted for MI’s top-order. He dismissed the dynamic duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the very first over and then got rid of an in-form Dewald Brevis. In that match, Ishan Kishan was floored by Choudhary’s toe-crushing yorker and that was arguably the standout moment of the contest.